On the day we will never forget -- Dec. 14, 2012 -- Adam Lanza had already killed nearly an entire class of first graders and several educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School when he paused to reload his assault rifle. Six-year-old Jesse Lewis yelled for his classmates to run while he charged at Lanza -- and six of them were able to escape the room in those brief moments.

This is not "trivial" to us.

New Jersey's governor called the bill he so blithely vetoed "the very embodiment of reform in name only."

"It simply defies common sense to believe that imposing a new and entirely arbitrary number of bullets that can be lawfully loaded into a firearm will somehow eradicate, or even reduce, future instances of mass violence," Christie said.

Want to talk "common sense," governor? It is common sense that fewer rounds of bullets could mean fewer people shot at the hands of a deranged gunman.

It is common sense that more, not less, gun control is needed in this country.

Christie vetoed the bill within an hour after receiving a petition with 55,000 signatures supporting the tighter limit. Among those presenting the petition were two parents of children killed at Sandy Hook: Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan, and Mark Barden, father of Daniel.

Through an arm of the grassroots organization Sandy Hook Promise, Hockley and Barden have been advocating for sane gun control measures in New England and around the country.

Progress must be made at the state level because Congress has shown an appalling lack of courage to address even the most obvious of reforms supported by a majority of the American public -- criminal background checks for those purchasing firearms.

Christie, in vetoing the magazine limit, did at least propose some mental health law changes, such as new standards for involuntary treatment of mental health patients. He had proposed such changes a year ago.

Gun violence is a terribly complex issue and one approach alone will not stop it.

Limiting the number of bullet magazines -- while not the sole answer -- is a sensible part of the solution. Not at all "trivial."